What were the crops of the 13 colonies?

The original colonies were both northern and southern, so climates varies. In the south, the colonies grew cotton and tobacco, along with vegetables for food and animal feed. In the north, colonists grew mainly vegetables for food production. Cotton and tobacco need mainly warm climates to thrive in, so locations for that are limited.

Typical agricultural crops were grown throughout the original thirteen colonies, but perhaps one of the most important crops grown at the time was hemp, which is oddly now illegal. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were large hemp farmers and believed hemp was essential to the success of the economy.

The thirteen original colonies grew a bevy of different crops, depending on the area. Some things grown included maize, wheat, cotton, tobacco, beats, and potatoes. Other crops were probably grown as well, but these were the major ones.

Crops in the 13 colonies varied from region to region. In the New England Colonies the most common crops were corn and other food crops. In the Middle Colonies wheat was a common crop. In the Southern Colonies cash crops such as indigo and rice prevailed.